Julie Green, a 34-year-old woman from Daytona Beach, Florida, was found dead on January 14, 2006. Her body was discovered on a dirt road at a construction site. Julie Green, who was a native of Jacksonville, Florida, left behind two daughters, Ashley and Christine, aged 13 and 11 at the time of her death. The circumstances surrounding her death were tragic and alarming, as she was found nude and lying face down, similar to other victims in the area during that period.
The investigation
into Julie Green's death revealed that she was one of the victims of Robert Tyrone Hayes, who was later identified as the Daytona Beach Serial Killer. Hayes, who was 39 years old at the time of his conviction, was found guilty of murdering three women, including Julie Green, Laquetta Gunther, and Iwana Patton, between December 2005 and February 2006. All three women were sex workers, and their bodies were found in similar conditions, indicating a pattern in the killings. Hayes targeted these women because they were vulnerable and would willingly accompany him to desolate locations.
Robert Hayes was arrested in 2019 after DNA evidence linked him to the murders. Investigators were able to match DNA found at the crime scenes to Hayes through genetic genealogy. During the trial, it was revealed that Hayes had purchased a gun shortly before the murders and had more than two weeks to reflect before killing Julie Green. The prosecution argued that the murders were premeditated, as each of the women was found naked, without identification, and there were no signs of a struggle.
In 2022, Robert Hayes was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murders of Julie Green, Laquetta Gunther, and Iwana Patton. The sentencing brought some measure of justice to the families of the victims, although the pain of their loss remains. Hayes' conviction and sentencing marked the end of a long and arduous investigation that spanned over a decade, bringing closure to a case that had haunted the Daytona Beach community for years.
